Heathcliffs behaviour in wuthering heights

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Introduction

Heathcliff - Wuthering Heights Throughout the novel Heathcliff has not only been bad mannered, and disrespectful, he has also been violent. Does he have any excuse for this behaviour? Heathcliff was brought to Wuthering Heights from the rough streets of Liverpool. Mr Earnshaw took him under his wing, and brought him back as part of the family. He only seemed to get on with Mr Earnshaw as the rest of the family saw him as an outcast and a gypsy. 'dirty, ragged, black-haired child' 'that gypsy brat' These two quotes are remarks made about heathcliff as a child, its shows even when he was a child; he was disliked and classed as an outsider. Heathcliff and Catherine became friends and soon enough were always together, playing on the moors. When Mrs Earnshaw died, Mr Earnshaw grew closer to Heathcliff, he treat him as if he was his own. ...read more.

Middle

After those five weeks Catherine had grown rather close to Edgar, as he was always there when she woke up and went to sleep. Heathcliff wasn't allowed to visit Catherine at Thrushcross Grange as he even there he was classed as an outcast. They knew he had been brought from the streets of Liverpool and therefore didn't have such social class as the Lintons, whereas Catherine did. When Catherine saw Heathcliff for the first time in weeks, she was happy and realised how much she had actually missed him. Although Heathcliff was angry at the relationship that had grown between Catherine and Edgar, he was glad to see her. Was this relationship partly to blame for his behaviour? Catherine moved back to Wuthering Heights where she and Heathcliff would spend countless nights laughing and enjoying each others company. Often Edgar would call round to see Catherine and they too would enjoy numerous times together, Heathcliff disapproved of this, yet he could not do anything. ...read more.

Conclusion

This left Heathcliff upset as he was so deeply in love with her, you could have called it an obsession. So does he have any excuse for his behaviour throughout the novel? I think he does. Firstly he was brought from the streets of Liverpool into a household with a good social status, but was rejected by all but Mr Earnshaw. Then finally when Catherine, his adoptive sister came to like him, he fell deeply in love with her, for her to rip his heart out by marrying Edgar Linton as 'it would degrade her, to marry Heathcliff.' This fuelled some of his anger when he came back from his trip away. He had already planned his revenge on Hindley; who had been so cruel to him as a child, and the marriage to Edgar just added to his upset. His obsession with Catherine grew, and this, I think is why he decided to get back at them by marrying into the Linton family via Isabella. ...read more.

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